SRAM Commits to Greater Gender Parity & 'More Women to the Start Line'
PRESS RELEASE: SRAM
SRAM is joining the global effort in supporting International Women’s Day on March 8, 2020, by outlining our commitments to pursue gender parity in the sport of cycling. We are adding our voice to the #EachForEqual conversation by endeavoring to get more women to any of cycling’s analogous start lines, including riding, racing, advocacy, and employment. We are also appealing directly to athletes, industry professionals, and customers to help make a difference. For 2020, we have made four commitments to support these efforts.
Community: A long-term commitment to the SRAM Women’s Program, now in its fourth year of operation. The program’s mission is to get more women on bikes through ambassador support and development, education programming, skills clinics, and by embracing peripheral communities at events. We have a full-time team member dedicated to this program, who serves beginner to advanced cyclists in both road and mountain disciplines. The SRAM Women’s Program has grown its reach to participants through events by 45% year over year and aims to continue this growth trajectory through 2020 and beyond.
Work: Since 2015, we have empowered women within the business to develop and lead the SRAM Women’s Leadership Committee (SWLC). The group was founded to attract, develop, and retain more women to work at SRAM. The SWLC is responsible for creating global mentorship opportunities for all SRAM team members, including addressing the challenge of creating a more inclusive and diverse workforce. Our global workforce today is 41% female. Our U.S. team has grown the number of women by 11.5% in the past 3 years.
Youth: Increased support to the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) through 2023. NICA provides entry points in cycling to youth in North America to learn the ins and outs of riding bicycles and supporting youth racing development. SRAM will actively be involved in helping NICA reach its goal of 33% female rider participation through collaborations with the Girls Ride Together Program (aka GRiT).
Athletes: We will continue to endeavor to support female athletes and teams in at least equal proportion to men.
 | SRAM believes that achieving gender parity in cycling is imperative for the long-term success of the industry as a whole. And our commitments will be sustained well beyond March 8. |
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Eventually she took a sales job for a vehicle manufacturer as it was deemed appropriate place by a male led industry.
Thankfully attitudes within motorsports changed and now her daughter, my niece, spurred on by the issues my sister faced & a change in gender attitudes, is employed as a Power Unit Engineer by F1/Formula-E team not because she is female, because she is the best person for that job.
What is an incel?
All I see from either side here is anecdotal evidence, and funnily enough, ZERO input from an actual female, so cool it with your holier-than-thou attitude.
My girlfriend has commented multiple times how she finds bike shops to be fairly intimidating, male dominated places. She's right, they are.
Women have increased their participation in the labor force in all areas in the last 30 years, mostly due to declining birth rates. However, if you look at female penetration (hehe) in top tier professional careers, and only look at women who were never married (a great way to filter out the cost of pregnancy, child care, or anticipated child care) the rates are the same they've been for 50 years.
So if you want the BEST engineers designing your bike parts, the question you need to ask yourself is: What can society do to stop discouraging women from going into engineering and the sciences? Because half of humanity, who is on average equally as bright as men, is being discouraged from designing your bike parts.
It's very well known research and easily visible in any kindergarten class where boys are clearly interested in things and girls are interested in people/social hierarchies. There are outliers as have been mentioned above but on the whole men and women are, surprise!, different.
So there you go, what we’re talking about here isn’t equality of opportunity, it’s equality of outcome. A discriminatory system that insures a suboptimal result.
Also, go back to school.
Case in point: We've all been intimidated by bike shop staff, it's about as universal as an experience can get! We're talking to people with far more knowledge about a subject we're considering sinking a great deal of time and money into, and we'd very much like to make the best decision and if possible, avoid looking like an idiot. It's the very same when we bring our bikes back, complaining about how this and that won't work- and it gets fixed in 20 seconds and we get a look of 'Was that so hard?'
Ask yourself: If the world hadn't told your girlfriend that all those mean mens were out to hold her back, would her ego immediately jump to the conclusion that her local bikeshop was a bastion of poor male behavior, or would she reach a more reasonable conclusion such as 'These guys are busy and don't have time to be dealing with things that I should be able to understand/ fix myself'.
The only thing remotely impressive about communism is it's ability to murder so many, and destroy so much in so little time.
Today it is difficult to see a changed attitude. Today it is easier to see we are more divided that ever. Today I see hate magnified & spread further than ever. Hate more anonymous than ever, and in that anonymity, those spreading the hate of difference feel more justified, more empowered, more righteous in their actions than ever before. No longer does hate have to come face to face with the object of hate & fear the repercussions of that hate. Today, hate can be directed anywhere, at anyone, at anything, at anytime from the anonymity of a smartphone or computer keyboard... all without a single care of the harm that hate may cause.
We do not have to live like this. We should not live like this. Instead we should work to understand our differences... our difference of gender, our difference of opinions, our difference of circumstance; We must learn to reap the joys of our differences... our difference of race, our difference of cultures, our difference of ideas... and we should do all this without hate.
We must all understand that our differences are the thing that drives our species forward to a better future. When we learn to understand & accept the value of our differences, we will find that ultimately, we are all the same.
www.thejournal.ie/gender-equality-countries-stem-girls-3848156-Feb2018
I have only daughters (still very young). I'm doing everything I can to make sure they have the opportunity to learn cycling. I want them to do wrestling, BJJ, BMX racing, etc. But I'm not going to force them. I can already tell the oldest, while she likes riding her strider bike, has far less interest than her male cousin of the same age.
You can't try social engineering and expect good outcomes. What you can do is fight for equality of opportunity, but once you start trying to manage other peoples life choices you're going to have a bad time.
That comment i made was not about you, in fact although we clearly disagree you still seem to have at least given it some thought. I was talking about some others who clearly are threatened by the thought of women joining in.
I could go on and explain the clear evolutionary advantage women have in society up to 35 years old or so but I’m sure that would baffle the equality of outcome mob too.
....so as long as it has the word Male in there somewhere?
-Asking for a fungus.
Thanks for sharing that. I'm a resilient kind of guy so making that type of comment doesn't bother me personally.
It show more about your own character than it does mine.
One of women's greatest currencies is youth.
A young man is considered worthless unless he has done something.
A young woman? Society values and rewards her simply for existing.
This is how it is, is it fair? I dunno but people have had thousands of years to figure it out, yet now suddenly stupid people want to turn it upside down cuz they know better?
www.pinkbike.com/u/DoubleCrownAddict/blog/yt-marketing-the-most-offensive-mysogynist-violent-pro-trump-company-in-bicycle-history.html
And p.s. In case you weren't already aware, the majority of applicants are excluded for every job.
*note Flarkenharvens and Garkenmarkens are entirely fictional and bear no resemblance any persons real or imagined.
the hard numbers say that women spend several TIMES less on MTB related products than men do. It's around 4:1, and that's of similar age and income levels. if gaining 2 women into the sport costs you 1 male customer, you have just shot yourself in the foot.
Right now on PB I see SRAM's logo underneath some dude doing a tailwhip for Crankworx. Santa Cruz and Yeti have had female specific brands for years and on their site's front page I see a combined 12 dudes and one girl (...and an ebike! Yikes!) What is your business outcome for: continue mostly what they've been doing and throw a few more % at a massive potential market? Maybe we can chill out on the MTB apocalypse?
It is what it is. Always has been. Every MFG and retailer has been trying to alter this market in some fashion for the whole time. It just doesn't shift much.
There was a time when no one cared what a brand valued and as long as they produced good products, they would sell those products. That is becoming increasingly unique, thankfully.
The ones who think companies do this "because they think it's the ethical thing to do" are naive at best.
I bet if you did a blind poll at SRAM, you'd find that the majority of the employees and board members would have values in line with the ones detailed here.
And regardless of the reasoning you come up with, these values do matter. You can call it virtue signalling if you wish but the that isn't going to stop the momentum that ESG is gaining. The consumer has the power at the end of the day and embracing values that consumers hold is crucial.
Being on the capital side of an industry myself, I can tell you that raising money isn't the same process that it used to be. Fundamentals (profit and revenue growth) are required of course, but private equity and public funds alike do now look at a corporation's ESG record and initiatives before investing.
You never know, by garnering a new base of support with fresh ideas to the established at SRAM, they might start making shifters that are suitable for smaller hands, start making freehub bodies out of a harder cheese, or come up with all new BB standard that fixes all the issues with DUB called the Dynamically Universal Movement Bracket.
This.
In spades.
Humanity hasn't managed it quite yet, and somehow, establishing and defining which problems require which kind of intervention appears, to me at least, to be getting ever distant...
Bugger.
So, your right. Political leanings can alter the consumers decisions. Sent me to the other direction. I know for a fact I am not alone.
Can we have 50/50 in sanitation work?
There are other ways men get to the top here, by having women take care of their kids while they are working long over hours. I worked with some clients, I would never be able to work like they work. 5h Meeting ends at 18:30 and bloke says he says he’s off to meet a lawyer because he’s signing a contract with construction company next morning.
Bossy woman would tell everyone to chill the fk up, she’s going home and wants us to check everything again tomo.
Personally I think it's a bit f*cked up that in this day and age you have to give up your work life balance to be successful (in most cases). I've seen a few guys completely burnt out by the age of 30. Fortunately for me I'm a lazy bastard who loves my kids too much as well as the weekly blast out in the woods of course
I have read a bit about the Swedish experience of the past decades on its journey towards a society where gender plays no role in determining outcomes, where people are "judged not by their gender (sic) but by the content of their character", and as part of that I keep seeing suggestions in articles / published academic papers that it has come at the expense of discrimination towards immigrants in society.
Here's just one example: www.jstor.org/stable/45084067?seq=1
I would be interested to hear your take on the validity of those suggestions, in your experience. As ever, if you are busy, don't waste your time.
Other differences? Well, Swedish women are more promiscuous but at the same time men (and other women) are much less likely to treat them as sluts if they lets say one girl ffkd one dude at work. Ironically it is manifested by how foreigners treat Swedish girls. My girl colleagues say that when on holidays in Spain, France, Italy, men are approaching them As if they were sure they will score, treating them as if they were “easy”. Now my sister in law living in Italy says Italian women are very insecure about scandinavian “chicks” since they are considered sluts... it doesn’t work like that in Sweden, they just have more freedom to express their sexuality. The most interesting bit I found is that you have to be honest with women here, they generally don’t like males coming up to them and kind of fancying them, flirting just for the sake of flirting. They seem to find it insincere. You either want something and she can consider it, or you keep it to yourself, or be as open as you can that this is just a game.
Interesting.
The phrase "what does my decision do to others" instantly made me think that there are some similarities then with my adopted home here in Japan, where some of the core concepts of Japanese society such as "kizuna", "enryo", "amae", "omoiyari", "taiou" are all based on the concept that the individual exists as part of a group, and that when choosing a course of action, consideration of the group is something that cannot easily be ignored.
What this ends up creating IMHO after a quarter of a century here, is a society with many faces (most of which the occasional visitor will never, ever, ever see), one where people can change their masks instantly to meet the needs of any situation. I have been long enough here to see them, and know them, and occasionally when people realize that I "get" this aspect of Japanese society and culture, I get labelled as "Japanese not British".
But all that "playing the game behind a mask" ironically means that the group that receives the least consideration is family, because that is the only place where you are free from obligation to the group... (seriously, you should hear the differences between how people talk to outsiders compared to those in their families.)
This means that whilst there is no "open hostility" to any gender, race, creed, religion etc, you can never be sure that you are just not seeing any "hidden hostility".
Similar to Sweden maybe, bonds here between people here rarely run as deep as they do in my experience of the UK (unless you go down into the Japanese underworld). and it is a common experience here to hear of non-Japanese who make their lives here bemoaning (complaining about) how the people closest to them seem cold sometimes compared to how everyone treats people outside of the family (visitors to Japan, the company offices, the home etc).
What this means in practice here is that if you visit Japan for a short period of time and only float about on the surface of society you leave with an image of Japanese people as being the friendliest, most accommodating people on the planet...
But....ask a young Japanese 23 year old who has just started work at their first full time job, who works 16 hours a day (unofficially, because officially it is 7.5 hours), never finishing the never ending list of jobs thrown on their desk by their boss, (who constantly tells them their work is substandard), and who has no time to do anything except collapse on the sofa bed that is their only furniture in their small, cramped, overpriced one room apartment in downtown Tokyo next to the train line when they eventually get home at 11:30 pm how friendly Japan is, and you may well get a very different answer.
All this comes together to create a society where everyone is seen to be working to support each other, even at the expense of their own well-being; so even though the state here gets so much respect as a result (the response to the Corona Virus has been exemplary... people stay home voluntarily mostly, and make a lot of effort to be seen to be doing the right thing), it is often openly criticised but only behind the safely closed doors of the front door.
This place suits the workaholic in me.
As for the relationship between men and women here... I am afraid I don't have the 3 hours it would take me to get all that down; nor the inclination to deal with the PB audience's reaction to some home truths about gender roles in Japan and how they are different to where they live.....and that that is OK if people here are OK with it...I have a mask to put on and get things done.
Take care.
Back to Swedes, one of the things that really struck me when I came here was how students dressed up. Some of them would be mildly mobbed in Poland, even in the 3rd grade, people would laugh at them. In fact such bizarre dresscodes would never work at almost any office job here. But in Sweden When it is allowed, ehich is most of the time, then it is allowed... to be an idiot. For good and bad. I really think this sums it up. “It is ok to be an idiot”. And if it is ok to be an idiot, if idiot will find Some job anyways, then it is ok to have different skin color, gender, voice, I mean for heavens sake some of the folks here are literally hurting themselves visually, you just see someone on the street and you go... fine, I guess I’ve seen everything... potentially pretty girl or handsome dude, who gave up the hope and somehow put everything together (or apart, depends on how you look at it) to look as unattractive and unemployable as possible. And I respect that. So while there is some ideological background to this tolerance, in many cases people just don’t care. They just don’t give a damn.
"in some countries who said “screw PC”.... the leaders...".
This is one of the more interesting, and terrifying, parts of modern political discourse as far as I am concerned. Leaders across the world, and not only in the obvious places, are encouraging their supporters to be openly hostile, as you say. It doesn't look good for a blood-free future.
The UK satirist Tom Watson (Jonathan Pie), that you are probably well aware of, did an excellent analysis of the reasons why the very vocal SJW left, (but still a minority on the left, just very, very vocal) have helped in the process: SJW politics has created a "repressed tribalism", that evolutionary biologists will point to as being a part of the human condition, and it is this "repression of the self" that has allowed the centre-right to shift far more to the right, and given the politicians calling for open hostility, a willing audience.
That audience has shown it is more than ready for the message...
As for "not wearing a mask", I am glad that your boss appreciates it. Over here, only tourists and visitors perceived to be here for a short time are permitted to "not wear (figurative) masks in public"!! Stay any length of time and the warm welcome guests from overseas received disappears into the ether..
You had better get your masks sorted out quickly when coming to live over here; there is no other way IMO to integrate into society. The more I understand the world is essentially just mutual manipulation, the easier it is to ride along on the crest of its wave, and the more I like living in highly structured societies like Japan.
That only works though once you understand that there is a personal benefit from co-operation that outweighs personal benefit arising from "the freedom of the individual". The Nordic countries are famous for such a system; their taxation structure to promote funding of social services are they not.
Somehow, I don't expect the majority of the PB crowd to really be at that point in their lives though!
Very good points and thank you Dave for explaining how creepy Japan really can be!
Honestly, living here has been great and has really opened my eyes to how humans exist amongst each other while trying to make way with harming others.
In doing so the society here is all wearing masks seeking social acceptance or placement rather than actually working to improve practicality and efficiency! ( points Dave already explained)
Its frustrating but once you can grasp this aspect of the culture, step back and learn to work around it to actually turn the normal negative depressing conversation into a positive forward thinking theme, Japan can be a very unstable place to live!
I can very sadly and deeply hurt to say that I have very little trust for even my best friends or students.
They would turn their back on me in a second to meet the eyes of Japanese standards!!!
I have realized Im nothing to this society and I mean nothing as my ideologies don't run along the same grain as what is portrayed on the news or national media!
I don't know how to say it other than society here feels fake! Fake bows, smiles and promises are made daily to make people feel warm!
Thank you Waki for talking about Sweden!
Its wonderful hearing about how other societies are trying to beat this social awkwardness that is just plain silly!
I would want the best person for the job regardless of their sex or race, and not favouritism to fill a quoter. The other thing is there is difference in what males and females want from life and their priorities are.
You can’t sell quality products simply with a pitch of “well we now have a 30% women workforce on the blue collar front line”.
Rip Sram.
That really doesn't answer my question but thanks for stopping by.
"The only people worried about gender disparities in Engineering are people who have no actual interest in engineering"
So according to you this bunch of engineers, directors & managers of engineering companies must have no interest in engineering? They are speaking at a conference which attempts to address the gender disparities in construction:
www.womeninconstructionsummit.com/speakers
www.womeninconstructionsummit.com/speakers
LOL
It's a very different thing to argue that increasing women's participation is going to ruin the bike industry, drive SRAM out of business, etc., as many commenters here are doing.
So while there are definitely women who dislike this kind of marketing (and not just for the reason above), there are also some ridiculous overreactions from men happening.
Our shop culture is the best I have ever worked in for other reasons besides this initiative and the women do an equally good job as the guys. But boy do the customers treat them like shit sometimes! I've even seen older female customers ask to speak to "another mechanic" when they get a response they don't like from a female tech with 5yrs experience. I've never had a customer ask to speak to someone else but I'm a dude, members of the public trust a mechanic who is a dude more. I think eventually it will change thanks to awesome female techs out there.
Bye bye rock shox and sram, better buy DVO and Shimano
I for one am happy to report that my daughter of 16 is highly intelligent and likely to pursue an engineering field. Why? Because she finds it interesting and has the will and brains to pull it off. I just wish she'd get off my case about us not having a lathe in the garage!
And to the guy above.. don’t worry, I can also lay parts out and reassemble them, plus a few other bits! But you can’t get all that in one photo ????
Cool that your daughters into engineering, I did that at school at her age too! But decided to pursue my passion for bikes ????
@Poulsbojohnny
And to the guy above.. don’t worry, I can also lay parts out and reassemble them, plus a few other bits! But you can’t get all that in one photo
Cool that your daughters into engineering, I did that at school at her age too! But decided to pursue my passion for bikes.
@Poulsbojohnny
I know, you have to do the "text between colons" thing...
You'll find a selection in the below link.
www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=72182
Go back under your rock incel.
So. My point was not that women can't be qualified. The word "specifically" was not inserted there just to waste space. It indicates the focus on specific gender of the person (woman) in the first case and qualification in the second one.
This won't help because you obviously can't read and/or don't understand English, but I've done my best to clarify the point.
Let's just Make Biking Great Again.